Trademarks & Domain Names

Brexit is now confirmed for 31 January 2020, but what happens next? Download our handy checklist of IP actions to take during and after the Brexit transition period.

Trademark enforcement is critical to brand protection strategies, but taking too heavy-handed an approach can often do more damage than good, as backcountry.com recently learned to its cost.

While “natural wine” is growing in popularity with consumers, there is currently no official label, legal definition or regulation to describe what makes a wine “natural”, says Manon Brodin.

Trademark law allows brand owners to take action against a trademark applied for ‘in bad faith’. But, what is meant by ‘bad faith’, and what is the process for bringing such a claim? Louise van de Mortel explains. 

Patents, trademarks, designs and other forms of intellectual property (IP) play a key role in the success of all modern businesses.

If you're looking to get your new year off to a good start, then you could do worse than beginning 2020 with a review of your IP portfolio.

While every business is different, certain recommendations apply to the proactive management of a trademark portfolio no matter your industry or business goals. We set out a 10-point strategic plan for streamlining operations in 2020.

The question of whether plant variety denominations can be protected under Article 7(1)(m) of the European Trade Mark Regulation was addressed by the EU General Court for the first time in the dispute over ‘Kordes’ Rose Monique’. Louise van de Mortel sets out the ruling. 

Thomas Cook, the oldest brand name in world tourism, looks set to survive the travel group’s collapse, after Chinese conglomerate Fosun buys its trademarks, websites and social media accounts from liquidators for £11 million. The deal highlights the enduring value of a strong trademark portfolio.

Registration of thebrexitparty.com by anti-Brexit campaign group ‘Led by Donkeys’ has been the cause of anger and embarrassment for Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage. The domain name is not proving easy to retrieve, as Laurence Rivière explains.

The average consumer may think that the bottles of their favourite wines come in standard shapes that are free to all producers to use. However, bottle shapes can be protected as trademarks, so long as they meet the necessary requirements.

Counterfeit purchases spike before holidays such as Christmas and during designated sales periods, such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the January sales.